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PURDUE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 19, 2013Darrell HazellCOACH HAZELL: Let me do a real quick recap from the Penn State game. I thought Penn State did a good job of keeping us off balance, running the zone play and nakeds off the zone. They made a big play to the tight end that really to me was one of the two glaring plays of the football game. One of our safeties slipped, they threw it back inside to the tight end, he ran down the field for a big gain. I thought that was one of the biggest plays. And then our interception was another big play, and the fumble, obviously. I thought we had some things going offensively with some of the bubbles and some of the inside run plays, and we weren't able to get to hold serve with Penn State's offense throughout the course of the game. We did make a big play on the kickoff return. That kind of gave us some energy on the sideline and kind of put us back into the game there, but again, we weren't able to get them stopped enough times to be able to hold serve and have a chance to win the ballgame in the fourth quarter. As you take a look at Illinois, big game, obviously, playing for a trophy this week, so our seniors' last chance, 21 seniors' last chance to run out into the Furnace, so it's a big game for them, and it'll be a very emotional situation for them I'm sure so we'll have to get recomposed pretty quickly after those guys run out and meet their families. But should be an exciting contest. They do a great job offensively. Just watch their numbers and you watch them play, I just got finished watching them play last week against Ohio State and they did a great job of spreading the field. The back is really explosive, the quarterback makes good decisions for the most part. He does a good job of stepping up in the pocket and taking off, so it'll be a very good test for our defense again. Q. Can you talk a little bit about Feichter has had some injury issues and stuff this year, but the way he's come back and certainly with the interception last week, what you hope to see from him the last couple weeks, and is the fact that he's overcome this kind of adversity? COACH HAZELL: You know, you're so happy for Landon to be able to get back out there and play the way he did last week. He graded out the highest on defense for us. I think it was 80‑something percent on defense for us. Just very active guy. We're asking him to play in the box now because we need that box support, but he's all over the place, and he's productive. He's smart. He gets us lined up, and he's‑‑ just to think that he broke his leg early in the season, he's back playing for us, there's something to be said about that young man. Q. The offense picked up a little bit offensively with Penn State. What are maybe some specifics things you're seeing in terms of improvement and what needs to happen on Saturday? COACH HAZELL: Well, I think we've got to continue to stretch the field horizontally and vertically, and I thought that's what we did a little bit better on Saturday. We threw some bubbles and we threw some of those jailbreak screens out to some of those wide receivers. Now you force those guys to run sideline to sideline, but we also had some opportunities at some big plays down the field. We gave up, I believe, six sacks. One of them was a close one. But if you can protect, I think we have some guys that can stretch a little bit vertically, and we hit some of those big plays. The second play of the game should have been a touchdown. One of our receivers lost it in the sun. But those are the plays that we need to make. Q. I think they asked you about injuries yesterday except for about Normondo Harris. What do you expect from him this week? COACH HAZELL: Yeah, Normondo is questionable, but he ran on the treadmill, felt pretty good when he was going forward, had a little bit of pain backpedaling on the treadmill, but he should be fine for his last game at Ross‑Ade. Q. You've only known these seniors for about a year. Just what have been your impressions of this group? COACH HAZELL: Well, I think they're fighters. They've gone through a lot of situations, hard situations, and I think they've managed to stay together as a group, these 21 guys, and believing in each other, and they fought hard for us, the new staff coming in. Q. Is it difficult do you think to be a senior your final season, have a coaching change and then have the struggles you guys have had this year? COACH HAZELL: I'm sure, absolutely. You put those guys in that situation, and to have them go through the season like we've gone through, it's got to be hard for them. They're trying extremely hard. We're just not getting the results obviously that are desired. But to their credit they come to work every single day and put it in for the Boilermakers. Q. What have been your impressions of Ricardo Allen in the year you've gotten to know him? COACH HAZELL: Well, you love Ricardo, and the game means so much to the guy, and his preparation is probably unsurpassed by anyone on the football team. He comes in, he studies film by himself a lot, but it's very important, and it hurts him, obviously, when we lose. You can tell, you can see it on his face, and you can feel the pain. Q. Speaking of pain, he does not to us look 100 percent healthy, but he's probably trying to give it the best shot he can. Is that pretty accurate? COACH HAZELL: That's very accurate. He's very beat up in his lower body. He's got some shin problems, but he keeps fighting. He is not 100 percent. He's in the treatment room all the time. Q. What about Bruce Gaston? How do you sort of characterize him this year? COACH HAZELL: Well, Bruce has done a good job for us, trying to keep the glue of that defensive line, trying to glue those guys together, and he's‑‑ I'm sure he would have loved to have had a great season going out his senior year, but that's not the case. But he's been a staple of security for this football team. Q. Your rushing numbers are not great, but when you take the sacks out of those numbers and when you look at your running game, what are you seeing and is there a foundation there that you've established at all this year? COACH HAZELL: Well, I thought Saturday Akeem ran the hardest he has all season. He put his shoulder down and got some of those hidden yards that you always like to get from a running back. I think we're getting better up front, inside with those two young guards and Kugler playing together. We had a three‑guard rotation the other day, but I think Jason King is getting better and Bruce is getting better. Not where we need them to be just yet, but you can see the improvement of those guys. Q. But just with the backs, you talked about Akeem and Brandon. What have they done the last couple weeks maybe as you start to look forward a little bit that will help you in future games? COACH HAZELL: I think what we've asked them to do is be more decisive with the ball in their hand. When they see something, go and get it. And I think they've responded pretty well to that, both of those guys. Q. I didn't see Devin Smith on the depth chart. Are you just going to go with King and Roos as the guards? COACH HAZELL: That was a misprint. He should be on the depth chart. Q. You played a lot of true freshmen this year. Any time you do that there's that wall that they hit because they're doing more than they ever have in the past. Are you seeing that out of any of your freshmen? COACH HAZELL: I thought there was a lull in the middle of the season, but the last couple weeks I've seen those guys improve a little bit. All those young wide‑outs are getting better. The quarterback is getting better. I think Austin Logan is getting better. Some of those guys are improving in the last couple weeks. Q. I don't know if you've ever heard this: Kirk Ferentz when he started out at Iowa only won one or two games, and he always talked about the senior class is the first group that he had that set the tone for their success there. Is that something you've thought about with these guys? You hope the way they've stuck together, the way they've worked, this is kind of the group that paves the way for the future? COACH HAZELL: Yeah, you always talk about that first class that you have, and those are the guys that really lay the foundation for what your program is going to be, and these guys have done a nice job. And again, all you can ask from these guys is do everything that you ask as hard as they can do it, and that's what they've done for us. Q. The success you guys had on offense on Saturday, is that the best they've executed yet, going through the game plan and getting it all done? COACH HAZELL: I think so. I thought we had some things rolling. You talk about driving the ball down the field, time of possession, some of the things that you always talk about, and getting those 1st downs. We had one situation where we went for it on 4th and 9 where that was going to be a pretty good drive for us, and one of the young receivers ran the wrong route. The field opened like the Red Sea and DeAngelo ran an out‑cut instead of a dig route. I thought we were moving the ball pretty well at that point in time. Q. The execution, was that Danny, was that the offense as a whole? How did that all work out for you guys? COACH HAZELL: I think it's everybody just really understanding that their role is so vitally important, and if you can take care of your role as an individual, then it's going to help. And offensively you've got to be 11 for 11 guys doing the right thing. It's different than defense, but you have to have 11 guys doing the right thing. Q. Obviously it's not reflected in Illinois's record, but they've had success, they've played some close games. They've been this close to winning a few of these games. What have you seen from them on film that stands out? COACH HAZELL: They're a good football team. Offensively they are‑‑ they do so many different things. They'll spread you out one set. The next set they'll come back with two tight ends. I think their back is extremely explosive. The quarterback does a nice job of finding that guy in check downs, pushing guys down the field, checking it off to that guy. He makes a lot of guys miss, No. 6 does. And that quarterback I think is doing a nice job of finding those guys. Q. I think you had nine runs by your running backs against Penn State. Was that just a product of the score getting out of hand early at least? COACH HAZELL: Well, some of that is that, but some of it's also we tried to get the ball on the flank to them with swing routes and the jailbreak screens. You'd like to be a little bit more in the run game, but a lot of that is dictated by the scoreboard. Plus we only had 20 plays in the first half, which is unheard of. We only had 20 offensive plays in the first half. Q. You mentioned yesterday that the senior day festivities would be at 10:46; is that correct? And do you typically do it that early? COACH HAZELL: If I said 10:46, I meant 11:46. Q. You worked hard in the off‑season to try to spark interest in the program. I think there are about 34,000 tickets sold for Saturday. What do you have to do to keep people excited about where you are now? COACH HAZELL: I think we've got to come out and play extremely well on Saturday and show the future of the program. I think that's very important at this point in time. There's a great crop of young guys out there, to be able to track and follow their career here in the next three, four, five, six years, and they're fun. Some of those guys are fun to watch. It's going to be fun. Q. You haven't been particularly competitive in your last four home games. Is that going to change on Saturday? COACH HAZELL: Absolutely. Q. I didn't know what you were going to say to that. How would you describe this season? COACH HAZELL: A work in progress. Q. You just talked about that you have to show the future of this program. What is the future of this program? COACH HAZELL: Well, you want it to be, one, at the top of the conference. You've got to have some foresight a little bit and see all the things that you want to have happen. I know it's going to happen. It's not a case of when. It's just when it's going to happen. Getting everybody to do exactly what you need them to do, running to the ball, hitting people on defense, offensively executing to the highest level, and then playing great special teams, which we're playing right now. I think we're playing outstanding special teams. But it's going to be a great program. I tell my staff that all the time. Just keep working the process. Don't panic, don't flinch. And sometimes it's frustrating for you, but you've got to keep working the process. Q. Why has it been such a struggle for some of those things to happen this year? COACH HAZELL: We're still trying to adjust to the newness of everything. Q. You talked a lot about offense today, but what were some things that you saw on Saturday that you'd like to build on for this week and then the next week? COACH HAZELL: Well, again, I think if we can throw some of those bubble swings and some of the nakeds and jailbreaks, those are easy completions. It takes a lot of stress off of the offensive line as well as the quarterback as well as the receivers getting open. All those things that you can get easy completions, that takes a lot of stress off, so that's part of the offense that we need to continue to get better at. But also you've got to do a good job in the inside and outside zone. That's who we're going to be, a little bit of outside zone and some things off the outside zone. Q. Danny had his best statistical game on Saturday. How would you evaluate his performance against Penn State? COACH HAZELL: He keeps getting better. That's the thing you see about him. When he has time in the pocket, you were disappointed about the one throw he had early, the pick, when it was 14‑7. He's got to see the underneath flat defender. We talk about that all the time, making sure you can find a guy that can take the route away. He missed it. But other than that, I thought that he played exceptionally well, getting the ball out of his hands. His timing was pretty good. His accuracy was pretty good. You've got to do a better job of taking care of the ball in the pocket when he feels pressure. But you can see the progression of that guy getting better from week to week to week. He was much better on the headset on Saturday, as well, with communication back and forth. He said, this is what I saw. Before he was very quiet, but he was very talkative on Saturday. Q. What kind of relationship do you have with Tim Beckman? Obviously you guys worked together at Ohio State. You were the receivers' coach, he was the secondary coach, so maybe there was a little extra there? COACH HAZELL: We went against each other in practice every day in one‑on‑one drills, and it was a lot of fun. Q. Were you guys friends or anything like that? COACH HAZELL: Oh, yeah. Q. Do y'all keep in contact? COACH HAZELL: No, we don't talk that much, but we were friends, obviously, we were on the same staff. We worked hard together. Yeah. Q. It would seem like if you can run the ball on anybody this season, statistics say it would be Illinois. Is that going to be pretty important for you to do something in the running game this weekend in particular? I know you talked about the high percentage passing game and that's often an extension of the running game, but is this an important week to show something with the running game? COACH HAZELL: Well, I think it's important for this week because of how good they are offensively. We have to be able to control the ball. And to be able to do that you need to be able to run some of our base run plays. If we can do a good job of double teams at the point of attack, we'll be able to make some yards. Q. Is Gabe Holmes going through senior day? COACH HAZELL: He is not. He is not. Q. Obviously I don't think it's a surprise by any means, but he's getting a red shirt? COACH HAZELL: He will be back next year. Q. Just wanted to ask you about some more of your freshmen this year. Obviously I think you could probably stand to become a little bit more physical at linebacker in the future. How are this year's red‑shirting freshmen doing? COACH HAZELL: Again, it's hard to gauge those guys because they're down with the scout team, but you see guys run around, and they try to be physical. They're reading a card half the time so it's not instinctive to them, and that's what you like to see, how instinctive they are, running to the football and hitting people. A lot of times we've got a leash on them a little bit to say you've got to be here, you've got to line up here, you've got to go ‑‑ so it's a little bit hard to get an evaluation. But you like the athleticism of those guys. Q. Done Monteroso, do you feel like by the end of the season he will have gotten enough out of this season to justify him not red‑shirting? COACH HAZELL: I think so. We played him on special teams last week. We'll do the same this week. He played one snap offensively, but any time you can get out there and play, that helps you, whether it's 100 plays a season, whether it's 50 plays a season. Any time you can get out there and get that experience of being out on the field against good opponents, I think it helps you. Q. Last week you talked about the corps of four receivers that you wanted to see the rest of the way. Obviously B.J. goes down. Who needs to step in to fill that void and just the progress of those four receivers? COACH HAZELL: Gary Bush will be the next guy up, where B.J. voided that spot, and he needs to step up for us this week, and I know he will. His parents are coming out for this game. But I thought that Anthrop and Pose and those guys played‑‑ and obviously DeAngelo played very well last week. Those guys made some big plays for us. Q. And just as far as this week goes, how do those receivers take the next step and build on that and turn out an even better performance? COACH HAZELL: They've got to get themselves out, make those uncommon plays that we need to have those guys make, and they've got to run after the catch. That's what we need our guys to do, to be able to run after the catch and get the ball in the end zone. Q. Is it interesting how your paths continue to cross with Coach Beckman? I think you coached each other in the MAC, too; is that correct? COACH HAZELL: No, we never played Toledo when I was at Kent State I don't believe, no. I don't believe we did. We didn't the second year for sure. I don't believe we did the first year, either. Q. But it seems like you guys continue to run into each other, whether it be at Ohio State, or maybe you didn't coach against each other‑‑ COACH HAZELL: No, I coached against him when I was at Ohio State and he was at Toledo. Maybe that's what you're thinking about. I don't think we played Toledo when I was at Kent State either one of those years. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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